Immortal of the Nine Realms

Xu Qingsong hadn’t left yet. Upon hearing Fang Chen’s words, his eyes lit up, and he began to formulate a plan in his mind.

”Alright, I’ll pass the message along,” he said.

Daoist Ling Bao let out a sigh of relief, slowly nodding his head. He thought that the two would take their leave, but unexpectedly, Bai Qingming struck again with a sword before departing. This time, he directly obliterated Daoist Ling Bao’s other two clones.

The visible change in Daoist Ling Bao was astonishing; he aged rapidly from looking like a man in his thirties or forties to resembling someone in their eighties or nineties.

”Damn it...” Daoist Ling Bao trembled, his lips quivering as he stared in the direction where the two had left, his eyes filled with deep-seated hatred.

All three of his clones had been destroyed, leaving him weak. Even if he managed to advance to the Fusion Realm, he would be the least competent Fusion Realm Cultivator. He might be marginally stronger than loose cultivators due to his lineage, but when it came to immortal court levels, he would be at the bottom.

”D-Daoist, are you alright?” a middle-aged Daoist asked, startled.

Daoist Ling Bao cast a faint glance at him, his face ashen.

***

”There’s a shortcut to the capital that I know of; it should only take about a month to get there. You can tell me your intentions for going to the capital,” Bai Qingming said, glancing at Fang Chen.

”Not long ago, Senior Sister Jing told me that a friend of mine has been taken in as a foster son by the Corrosive Dragon King of the North. I haven’t seen this friend for many years, so I’m planning to drop by,” Fang Chen replied with a faint smile.

”The Corrosive Dragon King, huh?” Bai Qingming’s expression became peculiar as he nodded lightly. ”He does have a penchant for adopting sons; he even wanted to take me in as one back in the day.”

”Did you refuse?” asked Fang Chen, chuckling. ”After all, he is an Immortal King.”

Bai Qingming sighed. ”Of course I did. My father has to agree first. If I go and become someone’s foster son without his knowledge, I’d just get my legs broken when I get home!”

Fang Chen smiled. ”Your father would probably agree if he knew, wouldn’t he?”

Bai Qingming shook his head. ”No way! My dad has such a bad temper; he wouldn’t let me become someone’s foster son.”

Fang Chen’s turned visibly curious. ”May I ask who your father is?”

”The Immortal Peak King from the South,” Bai Qingming replied, grinning. ”Now you understand why my dad wouldn’t agree.”

Fang Chen’s eyes widened in surprise, and he cupped his fists respectfully. ”My apologies! I didn’t expect you to be the son of the Immortal Peak King, Brother Bai.”

Bai Qingming scrutinized him for a moment, then said with a laugh, ”Apologies? Where’s the respect? I can’t see it on your face. You seem completely unconcerned; Looks like you think an Immortal King isn’t anything special.”

”Not at all! An Immortal King is a cultivator at the Ascension Realm. If it were in the past, he would have long ascended to the Immortal Realm and become an immortal. How could I, a junior, not show respect?” Fang Chen replied earnestly.

”Speaking of which, that Heavenly Cloud Emperor is even more mysterious. It’s said that he only has a remnant soul left, but I’ve heard that a few years ago, he went fishing in the Ancient Demon Wasteland and cut off a part of an immortal’s arm. What an astonishing feat! Even my father would just be an ant in front of an immortal; he wouldn’t be able to injure a single hair on them, let alone cut off an arm.”

Bai Qingming sighed. ”I just wonder where this ancestor comes from... Whether he’s from our Central Continent or is from Celestial Heaven or Northern Dipper.”

At this point, he glanced at Fang Chen and chuckled, ”You have some connections with this senior and you’re also a disciple of the Void Immortal Sword Sect. I’m actually envious of you. I was lucky enough to meet that senior once, but he didn’t even glance at me.”

Fang Chen found it odd, unsure whether Bai Qingming was speaking the truth. ”Brother, are you also interested in ancient Daoist techniques?”

”Also? You’re referring to the Ninth Prince of the Ninth Generation King, Ji Liang, right?” Bai Qingming replied with a light smile. ”It’s not that I’m interested in ancient Daoist techniques; it’s just that as descendants of Immortal Kings, we naturally know some secrets that ordinary people don’t.

”Why doesn’t the Innate Dao Sect acknowledge the existence of the Three Thousand Dao Sect? It’s because they’re afraid. It’s rumored that the most remarkable technique of ancient Daoism is known as the Heavenly Abhorrence Technique. It possesses the power to overturn the heavens.

”Unfortunately, the Heavenly Abhorrence Technique has been lost for many years. Even if some ancient texts are obtained, no one has been able to grasp even a hint of them; they’re probably fake. However, Ji Liang is interesting. I’ve heard that he possesses an ancient Daoist lineage and may be able to use the legendary Heavenly Abhorrence Technique.”

Fang Chen was somewhat surprised, realizing he had learned more about Ji Liang from Bai Qingming. It seemed that where there was smoke, there was fire; if there were rumors that Ji Liang could use the Heavenly Abhorrence Technique, there might be some truth to it.

The aura of that blood paper figure was different from that of the black and white paper figures; perhaps it was indeed an underworld soldier.

A month passed in the blink of an eye. With Bai Qingming leading the way, there were no unexpected incidents, and the two of them successfully arrived in the capital.

As they entered the city, guards checked their identities. When they saw that the two were affiliated with the Void Immortal Sword Sect, the leading guard quickly approached and reminded them, ”Fellow Cultivators, you cannot fight casually within the capital or draw your swords. You understand the rules, right?”

”Why wouldn’t we? This isn’t our first time here,” Bai Qingming replied, glaring at the guard before dragging Fang Chen into the city.

The lead guard couldn’t help but smile wryly.

One of his subordinates whispered, ”So what if they’re sword cultivators? They don’t even seem to respect us. They should know this is a crucial area; whether dragon or tiger, everyone must lay low.”

”Just keep your mouth shut. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. The one we just encountered isn’t just a disciple of the Void Immortal Sword Sect; he’s also associated with the South Immortal Peak King’s Manor. He’s a noble,” the leader replied, shooting his subordinate a sharp look.

The subordinate froze for a moment, then quickly fell silent, realizing the gravity of the situation. While they might not fear sects, they definitely couldn’t afford to offend a noble within their hierarchy. A mere word from such a person could send him from guarding the gate to guarding a toilet.

***

”Once we’re in the capital, we won’t have to worry about our lives. You do your thing and I’ll go meet a few old friends. But remember, if you plan to leave the capital, let me know in advance. Do you have the Heaven Profound Mirror? Let’s add each other as friends,” Bai Qingming said.

After a quick exchange, Fang Chen added Bai Qingming to his Heaven Profound Mirror contacts alongside Langya Wengqiu.

Bai Qingming nodded in satisfaction and floated away.

Fang Chen called out to a passerby. ”Excuse me, fellow cultivator, could you help me with directions?”

The cultivator glanced at Fang Chen. The first thing he noticed were Fang Chen’s tightly shut eyes. He tentatively asked, ”Are you blind?”

Fang Chen nodded slightly.

”Oh, no worries! In the capital, having an eye issue isn’t a problem at all; it’s quite safe here. Where do you wish to go?” the cultivator replied with warmth.

Fang Chen smiled and inquired, ”I’ve heard that the Corrosive Dragon King recently took in a new adopted son named Xia Ji. Do you know where he resides?”

The mention of Xia Ji immediately drew a look of envy on the cultivator’s face. ”Ah, so you’re here to seek your relatives! Xia Ji is indeed someone to be admired. Is he your...?”

”Brother,” Fang Chen clarified.

The cultivator’s eyes filled with even greater admiration. After murmuring a few sentences, he pointed Fang Chen in the right direction.

Following the directions, Fang Chen soon arrived at an impressive estate. Guards stood at the entrance, and upon seeing Fang Chen approach, they prepared to shoo him away.

”Hey! You’re not allowed to linger here. Please leave immediately!” one of the guards ordered.

”Even the guards are at the Golden Core Realm...” Fang Chen sighed softly.

However, he quickly chuckled at the guards. ”Actually, I’m here to look for Xia Ji. Is he here?”